The present invention relates, in general, to electronics and, more particularly, to semiconductor components and methods of forming semiconductor components.
High-Brightness Light Emitting Diodes (HB-LEDs) are increasingly being used in general lighting applications, consumer electronics, and automotive applications. Although these types of devices have a high growth potential, they have drawbacks that temper their many advantages. For example, they are vulnerable to damage by Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) events as well as voltage and current transients, e.g., over-voltage and over-current events, that may be present in a power supply terminal. In addition, the use of HB-LEDs in hostile environments such as in outdoor lighting fixtures and in automotive applications may subject these types of devices to high ambient temperatures capable of damaging them.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have methods and structures capable of protecting semiconductor components from damage from environmental and electrical stresses. It would be of further advantage for the method and structure to be cost efficient to implement.
For simplicity and clarity of the illustrations, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current flow through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-Channel devices, or certain N-type of P-type doped regions, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a propagation delay, between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action. The use of the word approximately or substantially means that a value of element has a parameter that is expected to be very close to a stated value or position. However, as is well known in the art there are always minor variances that prevent the values or positions from being exactly as stated. It is well established in the art that variances of up to about ten per cent (10%) (and up to twenty per cent (20%) for semiconductor doping concentrations) are regarded as reasonable variances from the ideal goal of exactly as described. For clarity of the drawings, doped regions of device structures are illustrated as having generally straight line edges and precise angular corners. However, those skilled in the art understand that due to the diffusion and activation of dopants the edges of doped regions generally may not be straight lines and the corners may not be precise angles.